Well, this one was big. We Mean BIG!!! This was one of the largest events we have ever done. It took us 20 hours from start to finish, a crew of about 15 people working round the clock, 5 generators, 6 different speakers systems, giant inflatables, and every LED in our arsenal. And It ROCKED!!!
The weather was absolutely perfect, the runners were stretched out, and the 5k was epic. We had at least 1,500 people running in the event, and roughly 5,000 people attend for the after party. We had an incredible time with a lot of friends, and when everything was said and done, it was a night we will look back on with fondness. It was an incredible event and we were happy to be a part of it. A special thanks to Gurus Cafe, Provo Live, and The Electro Dash family. Check out some links below for more information.
Hey guys! I must admit that you guys had an incredible time with a lot of friends; it was an unbelievably unforgettable night you will look back on with fondness. Looking forward to seeing more updates from you! Keep it up!


14 K Artworks have been viewed 14,040 times.
22 Artworks have been added to favourites 22 times.
I am a visual artist, community artist and award winning curator. My art practice specialises in painting and print(etching, block & lino). I have worked as a community artist with City Artsquad in Dublin for the past two years. My community artwork involves working with groups from public & private institutions such as St Patricks University Hospital in the Willow Grove Unit and Dublin City homeless hostels. I have also designed and built school & community gardens in my time with Artsquad.
I am also an award winning manager & curator of FFS Pop-Up Art Exhibitions.
I worked as an architect for ten years before becoming an artist full-time and my art practice ties in closely with the built environment. I worked for firms like Douglas Wallace & Keogan Architects on projects such as the Reynards, The Morrison Hotel Dublin & The G Hotel Galway.


There are certain people I truly admire. Their moral principles, courage and contribution to society is purely breathtaking. As I read about their work in awe, I can't help but feel motivated to fight for humanity, fight for justice, fight for peace, just like they do. One of those people is Mads Gilbert, the Norwegian physician who arrived along with Erik Fosse to support the humanitarian effort at al-Shifa Hospital during operation cast lead, or more accurately, the Gaza massacre. This post will be a compilation of all his interviews and videos during the recent attack on Gaza.
Amy Goodman: Can you explain more fully these kinds of amputations, Dr. Gilbert?
Dr. Mads Gilbert: You know, often, if you have a grenade amputation or an amputation from any kind of metal fragment, it will be more like you had a hatch or an ax or a huge knife that cut through your bone and the muscle. What we see in these suspected DIME amputations is that the whole limb is crushed in a way that must suggest some sort of immense power that has hit the lower part of the body. And we know that these small bombs, which the DIME bombs are, explodes in a way so that it will mainly affect the lower limbs. The limbs are—you will have multiple very severe fractures. The muscles are sort of split from the bones, hanging loose. And you also have quite severe burns where this energy wave has hit.
If you look at pictures from sites where these patients have come, you don't see fragments in the walls in the house around, maybe fifteen, twenty meters apart from the explosions. And you see only some stripes of power in the sand on the ground, and these actually are the examples that the power dissipates very quickly, maybe within five or ten meters of the explosion, so that you will not have this kind of collateral damage, as it's called. But in Gaza, again, so densely populated, that these DIME weapons will have a devastating effect. Also, they are, by some, classified as nuclear weapons.


text:
Q: Github Oauth token for Golang We use AWS code deploy to deploy the Github projects to Ec2 instances every time it deploys it asks for Github username and password to download the repository. Found following ways to solve this

*

*Supply Uname & Pwd (not preferred)

*Setup SSH Key (not possible as the instance keeps changing ip)

*Oauth token

Setting up Oauth for PHP repository was done by adding it in composer auth.json .composer/auth.json.
{
    "http-basic": {},
    "github-oauth": {"github.com": "xyzasasasauhu"}
}

But couldn't find a way to do this for Golang project. Typically we want to achieve go get https://github.com/username/reponame without supplying the credentials explicitly.

A: There are two solutions to this problem:

*

*Don't deploy code. Go is a statically compiled programming language. There's no need to have Go source code on the server you intend to run the Go program on.

*Don't use go get to get the code for your private GitHub repo. As long as the code ends up in the correct subdirectory ($GOPATH/src/github.com/org/project), Go doesn't care how it got there. Simply add to your build script a few commands:
DIR=$GOPATH/src/github.com/org/project
TOKEN=yourtoken

if [ -d $DIR ]; then
  cd $DIR
  git reset --hard
  git clean -dfx
else
  mkdir -p $DIR
  cd $DIR
  git init
fi

git pull https://$TOKEN@github.com/org/project.git

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Can an app include a page where a user can control the apps' permissions? I am writing a cross-platform app in Xamarin. The app requires certain permissions or it is pretty well useless.
We want to make it as easy as possible for the user to manage the apps permissions.
In iOS the permissions can be accessed on a per app basis (General then scroll to the list of apps at the bottom of the screen, tap and control all the permissions for that app) or a user can grant/revoke access to one particular permission. For example, the user can go to "Cellular Data" and control which apps can use cellular data and which cannot.
That was always a bit unclear to me, so it makes more sense now.
Ideally I would like to put the screen below into the Settings of my app. So there would be a little gear icon for Settings and one option in Settings is "Permissions" and tapping that would show the screen below (in essence). That would be easier to the user I believe.
OK, if we cannot do that can we still have the permissions entry and it would take the user right to the screen below?
Thank you very much,
Bryan

A: You can try navigating to the settings app in iOS using this :
    UIApplication.SharedApplication.OpenUrl(new NSUrl(UIApplication.OpenSettingsUrlString));


There are not enough reviews at this time.
Century Roofing and Siding is a full-service residential and steep-slope roofing company based in Ottawa since 1980. Our strong reputation as a professional, reliable roofer in all the communities we serve makes us the area's first choice for roof replacement, new siding and gutter installations. With more than 60 years of combined experience, we perform every job with the degree of excellence you expect from an established home renovation company.
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Indicates that the contractor has an exceptional understanding of the benefits of installing complete roofing systems with superior warranty protection — for your peace of mind.
Signifies that this contractor has been awarded GAF's Training Excellence Award.
Indicates that the contractor has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to ongoing technical training and continuous improvement — for superior roof installation.


text:
Kursum Mosque (from Turkish kurşun, "leaden") can refer to:
 Kursum Mosque, Karlovo, Bulgaria
 Kursum Mosque, Trikala, Greece

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Use that energy to remain in your heart and maintain that peaceful balance, so you can hold the loving space and support others while they are going through their downs and fears.
Greetings my dear ones! I am Lord Buddha and I come today to bring you love, stability and serenity at this time of turmoil.
Sit with me in stillness and allow me to fill you with that joy and bliss that flows in naturally when you stop the racing of your busy mind, when you lift yourselves above your feelings and thoughts, when you float with the love and the light.


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text:
My parent's divorce came as a big relief of tension
Published By Alan Weiss - Aussie Divorce | 17th September, 2014
When I was eight years old, my parents divorced
I guess I was young, and my parents were focussed on making the transition as easy as possible for my younger sister and I. The divorce was a relief, after months of tension in the home. While my parents didn't fight in front of us, we could feel the friction and disharmony.
While they must've disagreed from time to time, we weren't privy to heavy arguments, but I remember that our home felt more peaceful when they split up.
The initial period was difficult, as we had to adjust to living in two homes, but my parents were great at co-parenting. They no longer expected anything more from one another than just to simply to be the best possible parents and I think they did a great job.
However, it was only when I was an adult, reflecting on my life and the choices I am making, that I realised that much of my success and happiness as an adult could be attributed to my parents' decision to get divorced and to be the best co-parents possible. I hope this will inspire other mothers, who might be concerned about the effect of divorce on their children.
I got a big new family.
Over time, both my parents remarried and as a result, my sister and I got more siblings and extended family who supported us in every area of our lives. We grew close to some of them, and view them as a family.
Relationships with our parents become tighter.
When the family dynamic changed, our vulnerabilities came to the fore. Since our mother and father were no longer together, there was no united front on a day-to-day basis that defined the parent/child relationship. We had to redefine our relationship and find common ground as allies, which brought my sister and me closer in our relationships with our parents.
I learned unconditional love.
My parents did love and care about one another, but they simply weren't meant to be together. They were too different, and they needed to live life on their terms. I admired them for loving each other enough to respect one another's wishes and dreams.
I know that not all divorces are as peaceful as my parents' and that every child of divorce dreams of the day their parents reconcile. But at the same time, I fully agree with Dr Phil when he says: "A child would rather be from a broken home than in a broken home."
I want to inspire everyone reading this letter to let go of the guilt they have over the effects of divorce on your children. Rather focus your energy on being the most effective co-parent you can be because that is what will shape your children's future.
Court prohibits mother from visiting child's school
A parents right to children access
What should separate/divorce parents about school holidays?
Love is the most important thing a child needs
Stay order pending an objection SSAT review
In children matters the court would asks for a Family report
American child to stay in Australia
Dope smoking mum gets custody
How children cope with loss
Can DNA test affect child support payments
Separated but united in parenting
Grandparents' Rights to Spend Time with Children
How the Hague Convention protects children from abduction

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
From Israel: The Fix Will Not Be Quick.
Arlene Kushner 22/11/2018	Comments Off on From Israel: The Fix Will Not Be Quick. 1,060 Views
In my last posting, I wrote about hope – and I still have hope. We should all have hope.
However, while we are in a better place than we were several days ago, we still have a long way to go. A good deal depends on the good will and the intentions of various parties within the coalition, with its count of 61.
It depends on a readiness of all to pull together and take the long view for Israel's sake. That's a tall order.
credit: Yeshiva World News.
There is, for example, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, who broke away from Likud and in 2014 founded the centrist Kulanu party, which is in the coalition.
I did not write about him when I last described the situation, even though he had been talking about elections. Prime Minister Netanyahu had spoken with him and I had not imagined that he was going to be a major problem. My mistake, I suspect. He is continuing to make waves – to suggest that the coalition is not viable and that an early election is necessary. The coalition is not viable if members act as he is acting.
More importantly, I think, the success of the coalition will depend on actions that Netanyahu takes in the security/defense sphere. I'm seeing an interesting statistical anomaly: While polls indicate that Likud is recovering from its drop (which, actually, may make Netanyahu less worried about early elections), there is also an indication that a majority of Israelis did not buy the prime minister's "classified information" reason for decisions made with regard to Gaza. The public is waiting for a coherent, tougher policy, which is not "classified," followed by the appropriate action.
Words just don't cut it now. Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan (who, not coincidentally, happens to be Likud) has put out a statement that Israel is "closer than ever" to re-taking control of Gaza and targeting Hamas leaders
http://www.israelhayom.com/2018/11/21/israel-closer-than-ever-to-seizing-control-of-gaza-top-minister-says-%e2%80%8e/
But how cheap this verbal bravado is!
It has been suggested, more than once, that Netanyahu actually wants Hamas to stand so that he does not have to deal with Mahmoud Abbas, who would demand a Palestinian state were he given the opportunity to take over Gaza.
There was a time, not so many years ago, when we assassinated leaders of Hamas. In the last go-round we warned them to leave so we could bomb empty buildings. There was also the insane decision to continue to send in supplies even when rockets were being launched. From this perspective, the fight against Hamas was not real. As Hamas leaders know this, they are emboldened.
Says Maj. Gen. (res.) Gershon Hacohen:
"The Hamas leadership certainly knows the strength of the IDF relative to the strength of its own forces. But it bases its decisions not on that calculation but on its assessment of the constraints that prevent the Israeli government from making the decision to go to war. During the regular riots Hamas has led along the border since the spring, the group has learned its way through the Israeli strategic labyrinth."
https://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/israel-security-concept/
Chief of Staff Eisenkot, not surprisingly, has defended the IDF against Bennett's charges that soldiers are more afraid of the lawyers posted with them than they are of Hamas.
That Bennett spoke out about these matters is one of the prime reasons why I said we now have hope. It's an old story: we cannot fix a problem until it is named.
Bennett spoke truth. I have talked to soldiers in the field: there are times when they are reluctant to take action. They need to feel the system has their backs, and sometimes that is not the case.
And then there are situations that fall within the jurisdiction of the Civil Administration, which, operating under the authority of the Ministry of Defense, governs Judaea and Samaria.
Frequently the Civil Administration is disinclined to move ahead with an operation, even though it is legal within our system and has been sanctioned by our courts – because that operation is being criticized in the EU or the UN, or because of fear that charges of war crimes will be brought.
Bennett mentioned the illegal Bedouin outpost of Khan al-Ahmar, which has considerable strategic significance. It is still standing and should not be. I shared this before and provide it again here, for clarification.
credit: The National. Bedouin children in Khan Al Ahmar going to school.
https://www.regavim.org/khan-al-ahmar-high-court-rejects-palestinian-authority-petitions/
Along with many similar situations, there is also this:
"How was an illegal PA city established in the Hevron hills?
"Supreme Court to hear petition against Civil Administration's failure to enforce the law over thousands of acres in Hevron hills."
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/254985
Binyamin Netanyahu is now Minister of Defense and will have direct responsibility for these situations. He has told us he is strong and knows what to do. Much will depend on how much this proves to be the case.
Many believe that the situation to our north, which requires vigilant combat readiness, inhibits IDF inclination to take on Hamas in any major fashion.
credit: Youtube.
This does not mean we cannot be any tougher than we were in our last go-round! And some analysts, such as Maj. Gen. (res.) Hacohen, cited above, speak about the need for Israel to be prepared to fight on multiple fronts simultaneously.
However, this said, we need to face the scope of the threat we are facing.
Gideon Sa'ar – a former minister and Security Cabinet member, currently working on his political comeback – spoke at the Jerusalem Post Diplomatic Conference. He called for an Israeli strike on precision weapons factories in Lebanon that Hezbollah is developing.
"If an Israeli preemptive strike is not carried out in the near future, the window of opportunity may be closed. This means that future attack might be far less effective and will involve a much heavier price," he warned.
What Sa'ar is referring to is an attempt by Hezbollah, over the course of this past year, to convert inaccurate surface-to-surface missiles into precision missiles. This project is funded by Iran, which is also providing the technical know-how.
Israeli security officials are monitoring this situation closely and do not believe that Hezbollah has yet achieved the conversion of missiles.
Prime Minister Netanyahu referred to this project during his speech at the UN GA in September, during which he declared,
"Israel also knows what you're doing. Israel knows where you are doing it and Israel will not let you get away with it."
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5359926,00.html
Where Hezbollah and Iran are concerned, I have considerably more confidence in the readiness of the prime minister to be tough. In the north he is not entangled in the sort of complexities that taking down Hamas involve.
With regard to Syria, there is positive news (emphasis added):
"Iran's military capabilities in Syria are far from what the Islamic Republic had sought, thanks to Israeli action, IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot (on left in picture below) said Tuesday [yesterday].
"The comment was the clearest indication yet that Israel believes it is nearing victory after a several-year campaign to keep Tehran from gaining a foothold near the Golan Heights, though other officials have warned Iran and its proxies still pose a challenge in the area…
"The army chief praised the IDF Northern Command for its effort in blocking Iranian forces from establishing a permanent military presence in southern Syria, near the Israeli border, and from transferring precision-guided missiles to the Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon…
"'The fact that their abilities are far from what Iran and terror groups desired is the result of high-quality, ongoing operational activity,"
Eisenkot said, while visiting the Northern Command's Bashan Division in the Golan Heights.
"'The IDF will continue to thwart these efforts [by Iran and Hezbollah], while preserving the security situation in the north in the long term…'"
https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-says-it-thwarted-iran-from-gaining-foothold-in-southern-syria/
credit: BBC
Since Syrian anti-aircraft missiles brought down a Russian jet, on September 18, causing the death of all 15 aboard, tensions have been high between Russia and Israel. Israeli planes had been in the area a short time before, having executed an attack on a Syrian facility near Latakia connected to chemical weapons and missile development programs.
Those Israeli jets were back in Israeli airspace by the time the Russian plane was hit. Yet the Russians, furious and agitated by what had happened, chose to say that Israel was responsible; this was apparently preferable to pointing a finger at their Syrian client.
What had been a solid and constructive relationship between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Russian President Putin then soured, with the Russians uninterested in responding to Israel's requests for a meeting.
Israeli and Russian military had maintained what was referred to as a "deconfliction" agreement, to coordinate activities in Syria. Israel was most eager to sustain this, as it continued to be critical to do sorties in Syria to control Iranian involvement in the country.
At some point recently, Israel did acknowledge that some flights had been run into Syria following this incident. And now there may have been a break-through:
In spite of Putin's refusal to schedule a formal meeting, Putin and Netanyahu did meet on the sidelines of the event in Paris on November 11th commemorating 100 years since the end of WWI.
Netanyahu referred to the meeting as "good" and "very important."
As tomorrow is Thanksgiving in America, I want to wish all who are going to be celebrating a lovely day, complete with family and friends; football games, parades, and turkey with stuffing.
Oh, and pumpkin pie.
May each of you have many blessings and much reason to give thanks!
Arlene Kushner. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution. arlene@arlenefromisrael.info
Arlene from Israel website. https://www.arlenefromisrael.info/
"We Have Legal Grounds" –
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/legalgrounds
Website: http://israelrights.com/en
Tags Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon gaza Hamas IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot Mahmoud Abbas PM Netanyahu Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan Regavim
Previous Oz Torah: Choosing your own religious observances – Ask the Rabbi.
Next Naomi Friedman: Understanding New Symbols of Antisemitism.


text:
Q: if condition works only once when selecting more than limit files I have to refresh the page if i want this alert message again.

document.getElementById("images").addEventListener("change", function() {
  var length = this.files.length;
  if (length > 2) {
    alert("you can not select more than 2 files")
  }
});
<input class="control4" name="images[]" id="images" multiple="multiple" name="images" type="file" accept="image/jpg, image/jpeg,image/png" />

A: it works for me, are you choosing the same file on the second time? Change event only fires when the value changes, it can be fixed by setting value of input to empty string.

document.getElementById("images").addEventListener("change", function() {
  var length = this.files.length;
  if (length > 2) {
    this.value = "";
    alert("you can not select more than 2 files");
  }
});
<input class="control4" name="images[]" id="images" multiple="multiple" name="images" type="file" accept="image/jpg, image/jpeg,image/png" />


text:
After careful thought and consideration, the History Center has decided to remain closed to the public through March 2021. We plan to reopen to the public on April 1, 2021.
COVID-19 Update on Operations
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York History at Home
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Online Library Collections & Databases
This online library catalog is a work in progress. Images and content may be protected by copyright or other restrictions, and may not be reproduced, transmitted, copied or otherwise used without permission. Fees may apply. Please contact us with any questions about this collection.
Thank you for contacting the York County History Center. Currently, due to COVID-19 all History Center sites are closed to the public. During this time, please expect a delay in response to your photo order. The Library & Archives and Collections teams may have limited access to certain materials during this time, and may not be able to fulfill your request until our sites are open again. Our team will do our best to supply you with any information we can during this time and look forward to helping you again fully in the near future.
Please enjoy these photographs from the York County History Center collection. This is just a sampling over the over 100,000 photographs in the Library & Archives collection. Please visit the Library & Archives to view additional York County photographs.
The photographs below are available for purchase. Fees start at $15 for personal use. Additional fees apply for publication or exhibition. For more information, please contact Adam Bentz, Assistant Director of Library & Archives, at 717-848-1587 x 223 or abentz@yorkhistorycenter.org.
Bible Collection
The York County History Center accepted Bibles until the 1970s. This collection shares the Bible's title page as well as the pages that contain family data: birth and baptismal records, marriages and deaths. In many instances, a family Bible may provide the only recording of such information. In some cases, only a person's name without any vital information appears in the Bible.
This index is only for original Bible records in The History Center's collection. There are photocopies of many Bible records in our Family Files. South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society has published seven volumes of Bible records, primarily from Center's Family Files.
Bible Collection Surname Index
Search and View Bible Collection
York City Streets and Alleys
The York City Streets and Alleys illustrate the city beginning in the 1870s. Varying in size and condition these photographs highlight individual buildings as well as city events.
Search and View York City Streets & Alleys
York County Postcards
This online library of York County Postcards captures a specific moment in time of York County's communities.
Search and View Postcards
Search Our Collections at PastPerfectOnline.com
Grant Voaden York County Mill Collection
The Grant Voaden Mill Collection focuses on over 270 York County mills. Grant Voaden, an engineer with S. Morgan Smith, became interested in York County mills. Each file contains an information sheet that he created to organize his research, miscellaneous documents and photographs. Typical data included in each mill file is the type of mill, date of construction, owners, and other miscellaneous data. Voider's research files can be accessed during normal library hours.
A selection of these photographs compiled by Voaden are featured in The History Center's publication Miller's Tales — The Mills of York County, written by Lila Fourhman-Shaull, Director of the Library & Archives.
Buy Miller's Tales
Search and View Mill Photos
Scott W. Knaub School House Collection
Scott W. Knaub took photographs in the 1940s of one-room schools and other school houses in York County while he served as Assistant Superintendent of York County Schools from 1938-1950. In his 47-year career, Mr. Knaub also served as a teacher, principal of Manchester and Dover High Schools, and supervising principal of several York County school districts. He died at the age of 75 in 1957. This collection of photographs helps to document the history of one-room schools in the county, many of which are no longer standing.
Search and View School House Photos
Charles Ness Service Station Collection
Charles E. Ness owned Ness Oil Company and delivered fuel to service stations. Along the way he photographed them, mostly in the 1950s. This 1,000 plus collection of images document early gas stations across York County and was donated to the History Center in 2014.
Search and View Service Station Photos
Dempwolf Architectural Drawings
John Augustus (J.A.) Dempwolf and his brother Reinhardt Dempwolf ran one of the most successful architectural practices ever located in South Central Pennsylvania. J.A. Dempwolf established the firm in 1874 in York, Pennsylvania and was later joined by Reinhardt Dempwolf in 1884. J.A.'s son, Frederick, eventually joined the firm as well. The firm designed residential, commercial and public buildings, most of them located in southern Pennsylvania and northern Maryland, although they did many projects throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Many of the Victorian and Edwardian buildings of York were designed by the Dempwolfs, most notably the Central Market House, which still serves as a farmers' market and eatery today. They had a great influence on York's architecture from the 1880s through the 1930s, which was spread by seven of their students. all of whom went on to become architects in or near York, PA.
The Dempwolf Architectural Drawings were photographed through a grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC). The Library & Archives arranged for the photographing of nearly 2,000 original architectural drawings from the 1880s through the 1930s from two York County architectural firms, J.A. Dempwolf and Charles A. Williams. Johnson Imaging Systems, Inc. of Camp Hill, PA used an Opti-Copy camera system to photograph the collection, and a macromaster negative was created from which a print was made. In addition to the original drawings, the Library & Archives has a set of negatives and a set of prints of these photographs, which have also been digitized. The photographs increase public accessibility to the drawings, while preserving the original drawings.
Search and View Dempwolf Drawings
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text:
Online E-Editions
Circulation Request
The Laker/Lutz News
Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
Proud to be independently owned.
Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964
Wesley Chapel/New Tampa
Zephyrhills/East Pasco
Senior Parks
Zephyrhills and East Pasco
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Pasco schools survey results help gauge 'engagement'
January 5, 2021 By B.C. Manion
On the whole, this year's Gallup Survey results in Pasco County Schools are slightly better than they were last year.
But, when Dr. Peggy Jones — the school district's director of the office of accountability, research and measurement — discussed the results, she focused on specific data points within the report.
She detailed survey results at the Pasco County School Board meeting on Dec. 1.
In discussing the survey, she explained why it's important for the district to collect the information to help improve both student and employee engagement.
"Why does Pasco County put money, time and effort into this process?
"We care about this," Jones said. When employees are engaged, "productivity increases. Customer services increases," she explained.
"Things that decrease. Absenteeism. Attrition. Theft," Jones said.
The district's mission is to provide a world-class education, and that requires engagement by students and teachers, she continued.
"At the center of engaged students are engaged teachers, so it's important for us to also know how our teachers feel," Jones said.
The district has a vested interest in doing what it can to keep teachers engaged because 62% of teachers who are engaged are less likely to leave the district, Jones noted.
"We are so in need of teachers and we want our good teachers to be able to stay, and we want to have those great teachers in front of kids every day in the classroom. These are reasons why this is so important to us, and why we care about this information," Jones said.
"We want to invest in our employees. We want them to stay, and we need to invest in them, so they will stay. And, that includes their engagement, as well as professional development," the research expert said.
The survey results also can help guide the district into greater exploration of specific issues, Jones said.
"You can't just go off the number, and look at the number," she said. "The next steps after you have your data is to have some conversations with groups of people, including kids."
For instance, the survey has an item that says: "I have the materials I need to do my work right."
Thirty-seven percent of employees that responded to the survey strongly agreed with that statement.
In this case, the district may benefit by seeking more information on the topic, she said, noting that having specifics can help the district to better understand why employees feel that way.
Jones also provided context for some responses.
For instance, one item on the employee survey says: "At work, my opinion seems to count."
Thirty-nine percent of Pasco employees strongly agreed.
Jones said it is not unusual for teachers to respond that way.
"K-12 teachers nationwide are going to be the least likely of any organization in the Gallup database to mark that high.
"That can be for whatever reason. It could be that the federal government is telling people what to do. The state. The district. The school administration. Whatever it may be, that feeling of maybe being less empowered, is going to make you feel like your opinions don't count as much," Jones said.
She also shared some student results.
Student surveys explored student engagement, student hope, student belonging and social-emotional learning.
"Belonging and social-emotional learning are new," Jones said. "We're really excited about the two new domains because they are really at the heart of (the) work that we are doing. And, of course, we're glad that student engagement and student hope have been there all along."
The survey showed that 65% of the student respondents are confident they will graduate from high school; 51% said they believe they have a great future ahead.
But, Jones said, 14% of students strongly disagreed with the statement: "My classmates care about me.
"So, they feel like that their classmates don't care about them," Jones said, adding that response provides useful information for the district.
She also cited some results relating to social-emotional learning.
One item said: "When I'm angry or upset, I'm very good at explaining what is bothering me to other people."
The district's result showed that 29% of its students strongly disagreed with that, meaning they're not good at that, Jones said.
"So, on the one hand, you might be concerned. But, on the other hand, what a great self-awareness that students can say that 'I'm not good at that.'" she said.
On the plus side, students are confident about their listening skills.
Fifty-seven percent of students strongly agreed with the statement: "I'm really good at listening to my friends when they are upset about something."
Superintendent Kurt Browning said the survey results are encouraging, especially during a pandemic.
But, he noted, "it still gives a lot of opportunity for areas to address," particularly in social-emotional learning, and in working with students and teachers.
Filed Under: Education, Local News Tagged With: Gallup Survey, Kurt Browning, Pasco County School Board, Pasco County Schools, Peggy Jones
Learning options go on, in Florida
December 8, 2020 By B.C. Manion
Parents will continue to have the choice of keeping their children at home for remote learning through the second semester of the school year.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran made that announcement during a joint news conference on Nov. 30.
Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning also discussed the state's new executive order during the Pasco County School Board's Dec. 1 meeting.
The order "does allow for the continuation of the mySchool Online learning model," Browning said. "It also does hold school districts harmless, financially, and I would add, with some caveats. We are still working through the details of the order, as it relates to the financial matters."
The district must submit a plan to the state by Dec. 15, which outlines how it will identify struggling students and provide learning supports.
"Needless to say, staff is working feverishly to not just submit a report, or a plan, but submit a plan that represents how we're going to support all of our students, and especially the struggling students," Browning said.
"The plan will require specific steps for progress monitoring," the superintendent added.
The plan will cover how the district plans to take "even more aggressive steps" in identifying students that are not having success, Browning said.
The district will be making contact with those parents, who then will have a choice between sending their student, or students, back to the traditional brick-and-mortar model, or to continue on with mySchool Online.
If they want to continue remote learning, they must make that affirmative choice.
"That is going to add another level of complexity," Browning said.
"I will tell you, there will be a district-wide approach to this. There will not be different procedures in different schools," the superintendent said. The procedure for identifying struggling students and notifying parents will be the same, he explained.
School board member Colleen Beaudoin asked the district to provide additional support for secondary teachers who are in schools where a significant number of notifications will have to be made.
Browning responded: "That is one of the issues that we're trying to figure out."
The district also is working on the best approach for notifications to parents.
"Do we send a certified letter home to moms and dads, with a return receipt, so we have written confirmation that they received it. Do we make phone calls? Who makes those phone calls? What information are we sharing with them? What is the measure of success?
"Those are all issues that we're having to deal with, with guidance from Tallahassee," Browning said.
While the district works this out, some other district tasks are being put on hold, he added.
Beaudoin said her perception of the press conference was that the state would like to get students back into traditional classrooms.
Browning agreed: "We do know that the Commissioner (Corcoran) was pretty clear yesterday, in his assessment about kids that are struggling: They need to be back in bricks-and-mortar environment."
But, Browning said he's pleased the state is continuing to give parents the choice.
"I will tell you that I understand, with where we find ourselves with COVID, particularly on Dec. 1, 2020, I understand why there are parents that do not want to come back into a bricks-and-mortar environment," he said.
The superintendent went on: "The numbers, because of the measures and steps that we've taken as a district, have been relatively low."
In fact, the number of positive cases among students is about ½ of 1%, he said.
In large part, the cases on campus are not resulting from spread at school, but are originating elsewhere, Browning said.
At one high school, for example, about a dozen students were sent home that were directly tied to a birthday party, he said.
"You go to parks and ballfields, and you will see full parks and ballfields — and I might add, with no masks, or very few masks," the superintendent said.
Browning also noted that he's been in constant contact with Mike Napier, the health officer for the Florida Department of Health — Pasco County.
"He's concerned about the direction that we're headed — not we, as a district, but we, as a community, are headed with COVID cases," Browning said.
Board member Beaudoin urged parents to help ensure their children's success.
Browning said the district needs to give assurances to Tallahassee that it is adding additional supports, and those supports, he said won't be cheap.
"Miss (Olga) Swinson (chief finance officer), and I, and others — we talk about the funding piece and how we are going to be able to get the dollars that we're going to need to have in order to provide these supports that the department expects us to provide to these students," he said. "It's a sticky wicket."
School board member Alison Crumbley said the district needs to analyze why students are struggling. "We need to break it down," she said.
Filed Under: Education, Local News Tagged With: Alison Crumbley, Colleen Beaudoin, Florida Department of Health, Kurt Browning, Mike Napier, mySchool, Pasco County School Board, Pasco County Schools, Richard Corcoran, Ron DeSantis
Elected leaders take oath of office
December 8, 2020 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News
Swearing-in ceremonies were held earlier this month, for elected leaders.
Pasco County Commission members Jack Mariano, Ron Oakley and Kathryn Starkey, who were reelected to new terms, and Christina Fitzpatrick, newly elected to the board, each took the oath of office.
Mariano's swearing-in ceremony was in the board's New Port Richey chamber, while the other commissioners were sworn-in at the board's Dade City chambers.
The Pasco County Commission is expected to have its organizational meeting, where the chairman is selected on Dec. 9, after The Laker/Lutz News press deadline.
At Pasco County Schools' district headquarters in Land O' Lakes, reelected Pasco County Superintendent of Schools Kurt Browning took the oath of office, as did reelected board members Colleen Beaudoin and Alison Crumley.
Meanwhile, in Hillsborough County, newly elected Hillsborough County Commissioners Harry Cohen and Gwen Myers, and reelected Commissioner Pat Kemp, each took the oath of office.
And, on the Hillsborough County School Board newly elected members Nadia Combs, Jessica Vaughn and Henry "Shake" Washington were sworn-in, as was Lynn Gray, who was reelected.
Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: Alison Crumbley, Christina Fitzpatrick, Colleen Beaudoin, Gwen Myers, Harry Cohen, Henry Shake Washington, Hillsborough County Commission, Hillsborough County School Board, Jack Mariano, Jessica Vaughn, Kathryn Starkey, Kurt Browning, Lynn Gray, Nadia Combs, Pasco County Commission, Pasco County Schools, Pat Kemp, Ron Oakley
Boundaries to be set soon for Starkey Ranch K-8
November 24, 2020 By B.C. Manion
The Pasco County School Board is scheduled to set boundaries for the new Starkey Ranch K-8 school at the board's Dec. 1 meeting.
The school — part of a complex that includes a theater, library and cultural center — is scheduled to open in the 2021-2022 school year.
The board held a public hearing on the proposed boundaries during its Nov. 17 meeting, with no one stepping forward to offer public comment.
"Starkey Ranch K-8 is built to house about 1,500 students. Initially, the school will open with kindergarten through seventh-grade students. The plan is to grandfather rising eighth-graders to their existing school," Chris Williams, the district's planning director told the school board during the public hearing.
"Staff put together a plan to rezone about 450 students from Longleaf and Odessa elementary schools to Starkey Ranch.
"In addition, approximately 100 students from River Ridge Middle School are proposed to be rezoned to Starkey Ranch," he said, noting the students assigned to Starkey Ranch K-8 live in the development.
"With the Starkey Ranch development continuing to build houses for the next couple of years, we expect growth of about 200 K-8 students per year, so with growth, we anticipate approximately 750 K-7 (kindergarten through seventh grade) zoned students upon opening.
"That leaves quite a few seats open for magnet school. However, we will be working to make sure we keep seats available and open for growth, in that area," Williams added.
District staff had an open house to explain the boundary proposals, and also accepted comments via the district's Let's Talk portal, Williams said.
Six comments were received via Let's Talk.
"One person requested Asturia to be zoned for Starkey Ranch; one requested the Woodlands neighborhood of Longleaf to be zoned for Starkey Ranch. Others had questions about Starkey Ranch registration and grade configurations," Williams said.
The district also is recommending a slight boundary shift affecting the Watergrass and Wesley Chapel elementary schools.
The change is being made as a result of the Epperson Ranch subdivision, Williams said.
"That area of Epperson Ranch being developed goes all of the way up to Tindale Road.
"You'll also notice a small sliver above Tindale Road that has a few houses. Originally, when we were developing this plan, there were no elementary children who lived there who were attending the zone of Wesley Chapel elementary, but come August, one student did move into that area. We've been talking among ourselves. They will be rezoned to Watergrass Elementary, but if they choose to remain at Wesley Chapel Elementary, we plan on accommodating them," Williams said.
Additionally, Superintendent Kurt Browning does not intend to reset school choice for any of these schools that are affected by the boundary changes and grandfather children in with transportation.
The final public hearing on the proposed boundary changes for Starkey K-8, as well as Watergrass and Wesley Chapel elementary, is set for 9:30 a.m., on Dec. 1, in the board chambers at district headquarters, 7205 Land O' Lakes Blvd., in Land O' Lakes.
Filed Under: Education, Local News Tagged With: Asturia, Chris Williams, Epperson Ranch, Kurt Browning, Longleaf Elementary, Odessa Elementary, Pasco County School Board, River Ridge Middle School, Starkey Ranch K-8, Tindale Road, Watergrass Elementary, Wesley Chapel Elementary
How Pasco Schools is navigating through COVID-19
November 10, 2020 By Kevin Weiss
Heading up one of Florida's largest school districts is certainly a tall task on its own merit — let alone when a world-altering pandemic shocks the system from March onward.
So, it's understandable if Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning tries to bring some levity to the whole situation.
His humor showed through at a speaking engagement before the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce Oct. 20 breakfast meeting.
Pasco Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning was guest speaker at the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting last month at Scotland Yards Golf Club. (File)
"I always look for positive things. I think, 'You know, I could be the supervisor of elections…'," quipped Browning, before a crowd of dozens at the Scotland Yards Golf Club in Dade City.
Booming laughter, of course, ensued.
Browning held the Pasco County Supervisor of Elections position for 26 years, from 1980 to 2006.
He later joked and shared an anecdote how he once heard current Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley discuss his various responsibilities and lengthy work schedule.
Browning retorted to Corley: "I don't ever want to you hear you talk about how hard you work, until you run a school district. You don't know what hard work is, until you run a school system."
More seriously, though, Browning told the crowd that the past six months or so have unquestionably been a stressful period for administrators, teachers, parents and students alike. "We have had a rough go," he said.
The superintendent shared his personal experience of contracting the coronavirus in June.
The moment he received word of his positive COVID-19 test, Browning said, "it was all downhill from there.
"Probably the sickest I've ever been, sickest I've ever been in my life," said Browning, noting he still feels some lingering fatigue even today.
"It was bad. It was bad, bad, bad. …I was too sick to even worry about what was going on in the office," the superintendent said.
He discussed the hurdles that the district overcame to get teachers and students either back in the classroom or learning virtually.
The district gave families three learning options for the 2020-2021 school year:
Traditional brick-and-mortar campuses
Pasco eSchool virtual education program
mySchool Online, a hybrid virtual learning model where students follow a standard school schedule and bell times
One of the most challenging aspects of the first quarter has been the continuous indecisiveness by parents on which learning model to use for their child, he said.
Parents initially choosing a virtual model would flip back to traditional, and vice versa, mainly based on the latest news reports of whether COVID-19 cases were spiking or slowing.
"As we got closer to school, I mean people were just ping-ponging back and forth," Browning said.
He said he had to plead with parents: "Don't do that. Just pick a model and stick with it, because it's not good for your student to keep going back and forth, because they're going to lose instruction."
Parent indecisiveness has "settled down a little bit," but some parents are still "ping-ponging."
The superintendent also noted that parents who intend to send kids back to brick-and-mortar campuses next semester need to inform his office soon, as preparations are already underway. A hard date for those second semester decisions will be set relatively soon.
"Keep in mind, it's not as simple as moving kids into a classroom," said Browning, the changes affect teachers and scheduling, too.
Other school district challenges amid COVID-19
Browning also touched on other challenges brought about by the start the pandemic, such as creating drive-thru sites to provide free meals for needy families.
The district served over 1 million meals, from March through the beginning of the school year in August.
Pasco Schools distributed over 1 million meals to needy families from March through the beginning of the school year in August, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The number of families who needed help increased drastically, Browning said, particularly among the district's 36 Title 1 schools — campuses with large concentrations of low-income students.
Many of those students rely on school-provided breakfast and lunch, as oftentimes it's their only meals of the day, "so it's important we get the food to them," Browning said.
The superintendent added the 1 million-plus meal figure is "much higher than we've ever served meals before, and I think a lot of that was due to folks having lost jobs, not being able to provide food for their kids."
And, as students moved to remote learning, technology became a big challenge.
The district issued about 20,000 laptops and iPads to students for virtual learning purposes.
The school district primarily uses Apple equipment, but district leadership decided to distribute Dell laptops — in order to distribute more laptops. The district could buy three Dell laptops for the cost of one Apple laptop, Browning explained.
"We learned very quickly, if we're going to get where we need to be with devices for our kids, we're kind of switching over to Dell devices," Browning said. "They're not as sturdy as an Apple, but if a kid drops a Dell and breaks it, throw it in the garbage and buy another one. With an Apple, you have to fix it, and the investment's too great to do that with."
Getting remote internet access to students was another necessity and challenge — particularly at the end of last school year.
"You know how many kids in 2020 do not have internet service? A lot," Browning said.
To solve the problem, the district equipped school buses with hotspots and set them up in school parking lots in remote areas with no internet service, such as Crystal Springs, Lacoochee and Shady Hills.
The concept allowed families to park their cars into school lots for several hours and have children complete necessary schoolwork from there.
"We bought hotspots by the hundreds," Browning said.
New technical high school underway
Browning went on to discuss the district's forthcoming technical high school — Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation, being built at 9100 Curley Road in Wesley Chapel.
The Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation is being built at 9100 Curley Road in Wesley Chapel. The 184,000-square-foot technical school is expected to serve 1,000 students and is scheduled to open for the 2022-2023 school year. The school will prepare students for high-salary, high-skill careers in high-demand areas, such as digital multimedia, engineering and robotics, biomedical sciences, building construction, and cyber security, according to district officials.
The 184,000-square-foot technical school is expected to serve 1,000 students and is scheduled to open for the 2022-2023 school year.
The school will prepare students for high-salary, high-skill careers in high-demand areas, such as digital multimedia, engineering and robotics, biomedical sciences, building construction, and cyber security, according to district officials.
A groundbreaking ceremony was celebrated in early September.
Browning believes it'll be a win for the school district, underscoring the importance of technical and vocational training programs, as well as dual-enrollment opportunities.
"We want our kids to have options, we want our kids to be successful," said Browning. "We want them to be exposed to diesel mechanics. You know what a good diesel mechanic is paid? You know what a great welder gets paid? Sometimes six figures."
The school, Browning said, is being constructed "with a lot of non-fixed walls" to allow for ever-changing learning programs that may require more or less space in the future.
"It's going to be a very functional facility for our kids, and I believe East Pasco deserves that and needs that for our kids," Browning said.
Kirkland Ranch will primarily pull students from Pasco, Zephyrhills, Wesley Chapel and Wiregrass Ranch high schools, but also will be available to "any other kid" from the county that wants to take advantage, Browning said.
Filed Under: Education, Local News Tagged With: Brian Corley, Curley Road, Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce, Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation, Kurt Browning, MySchool Online, Pasco eSchool, Scotland Yards Golf Club, Wiregrass Ranch
USF urged to continue preparing teachers
The Pasco County School Board has adopted a resolution urging the University of South Florida to continue teacher preparation programs at all of the university's campuses.
Board members adopted the resolution at their Nov. 3 meeting, after they and Superintendent Kurt Browning weighed in on the issue.
"We think that it would just be devastating to our programs across the Tampa Bay area for them to close that program down," Browning said, noting he had joined superintendents from Pinellas, Hillsborough, Polk, Manatee and Sarasota for a community conversation to discuss USF's proposal to end the program.
"I don't think people on the outside of education fully understand the impact that this is going to have on our district," Browning said. "We are direct recipients of great teachers who come out of USF."
School board member Alison Crumbley characterized USF's decision as "short-sighted."
Like Browning, she said the district relies on USF's program.
"Thirty percent of our teachers come from USF," she said. "It's just a huge disappointment to me, and letdown for the school districts and taxpayers in the Tampa Bay area that this is the situation," Crumbley said.
Board Chairwoman Colleen Beaudoin, who herself is a teacher, added: "It's unfortunate that there's been a decline nationally, in the number of people pursuing degrees in education. That is the root of the problem.
"What we're discussing here could be a result of the excessive state mandates, testing, evaluation system and lack of respect teachers are given," she said.
She added those factors could be deterring people from pursuing a career in education, which Beaudoin described as "a noble profession" that creates "lifelong learners and productive citizens.
"Being a teacher is rewarding and fulfilling. I'll support anything that provides a pathway for students to enter the career," she said.
School board member Megan Harding, a graduate from the USF College of Education, said she hopes the college will reconsider.
"Not only does this affect teachers, but it's also going to affect the children," her Facebook page says. "We already have a teacher shortage."
Harding read the resolution, which the board adopted.
The resolution notes that Pasco County Schools hires approximately 525 teachers annually, and the USF undergraduate teacher preparation program contributes more than 30% of those teachers. The resolution also points to the existing statewide teacher shortage.
The resolution asserts "USF's action will harm not only the school districts in the Tampa Bay region, but also the larger communities they serve, including families sending children to our schools and the business communities served by the graduates of our schools."
The resolution concludes by pledging the Pasco school board's support for any and all efforts to maintain USF's undergraduate teacher preparation programs at all of its campuses, and encourages the college to work closely with Pasco County Schools, and other stakeholders and partners to find an alternative to closing the programs.
Browning said the resolution will be forwarded to the president of USF, the provost and acting dean.
Filed Under: Education, Local News Tagged With: Alison Crumbley, Colleen Beaudoin, Kurt Browning, Megan Harding, Pasco County School Board, Pasco County Schools, University of South Florida, USF, USF College of Education
Familiar faces win reelection in Pasco County
Voters across The Laker/Lutz News coverage area demonstrated their enthusiasm in Election 2020 — casting their ballots through Vote By Mail or in person at early voting sites or in their precincts on Election Day.
Pasco County reported a turnout of 77.8% of its 389,317 registered voters, with a total of 303,214 ballots cast, according to unofficial voting results.
Hillsborough County reported a turnout of 76.45% of the county's 934,346 registered voters, casting a total of 714,286 ballots.
These are unofficial tallies for both counties. The final result must include overseas ballots, provisional ballots and ballots that had signature issues that were cured — before they are certified, which is when they become official.
Valerie Cooper took advantage of early voting at the New River Branch Library in Wesley Chapel. She reported that operations were running smoothly and she was pleased to be able to vote on a day that was convenient. (B.C. Manion)
Visits by The Laker/Lutz News to polling locations during Early Voting and on Election Day revealed smooth operations at numerous sites across the newspaper's coverage area in Lutz, Land O' Lakes, Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills.
Incumbents fared better in Pasco County than they did in Hillsborough County.
Pasco County voters gave Kurt Browning four more years as superintendent of Pasco County Schools. They also reelected Kathryn Starkey in District 1 and Jack Mariano in District 5, on the Pasco County Commission.
In Hillsborough County, voters reelected Lynn Gray for four more years in the District 7 seat on the Hillsborough County School Board, and elected Jessica Vaughn for the District 3 seat.
Voters rejected Tammy Shamburger's bid for reelection in District 5, selecting Henry "Shake" Washington instead. They also turned down incumbent Steve Cona's bid for reelection in District 1, choosing challenger Nadia Combs instead.
Other big decisions in Hillsborough, included the reelection of Sheriff Chad Chronister and Property Appraiser Bob "Coach" Henriquez.
Hillsborough voters also selected Nancy C. Millan as the county's next tax collector.
Voters chose Harry Cohen in the District 1 race for Hillsborough County Commission; Gwen Myers for District 3, on the board; and Pat Kemp in District 6.
Incumbent Andrew Warren won another term in the race for State Attorney in the 13th Judicial Court.
In state legislative races, voters chose Danny Burgess to fill the vacancy in Senate District 20.
Amber Mariano won her re-election bid in House District 36, as did Ardian Zika in House District 37, and Randy Maggard in House District 38.
Workers for the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections conduct post-election activities in the supervisor's warehouse. (Courtesy of Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections)
Statewide, voters narrowly supported an amendment to the Florida Constitution that will gradually raise the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour.
They overwhelmingly favored an amendment allowing a property tax discount for spouses of deceased veterans who had suffered permanent, combat-related injuries.
They approved an amendment that gives people more time to transfer their accrued benefits of the Homestead Property taxes to another property, and they supported a requirement that all voters in Florida must be citizens.
But, they rejected proposed amendments that would have allowed all voters to vote for primary elections for state legislators, governor and cabinet, and they turned down a proposed amendment to require voters to approve proposed constitutional amendments twice before they could take effect.
Constitutional amendments require approval by 60% of the voters
In federal races, voters approved the reelection of U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis for another term in Florida's 12th congressional district.
In the presidential contest, Pasco County voters supported Donald J. Trump, with 59.38% of the vote, compared to 39.32% for Joe Biden.
Hillsborough County voters favored Biden, who received 52.69% of the vote, compared to 45.87% for Trump.
National news outlets have projected Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the next president and vice president of the United States.
As of Nov. 9, President Donald J. Trump had not conceded, according to national news reports, and he intended to pursue court challenges.
The Associated Press reported that the Biden ticket received nearly 75.7 million votes; while Trump's ticket secured nearly 71.1 million.
Biden's ticket received the most-ever votes for a president, while Trump's ticket received the second-highest, according to national news reports.
President*
Joseph R. Biden: 75.7 million; 290 electoral votes
Donald J. Trump: 71.1 million; 214 electoral votes
* Results reported by the Associated Press; President Donald J. Trump had not conceded as of Nov. 9, according to national reports, and is challenging the results.
Pasco Superintendent of Schools
Kurt S. Browning: 64.54%
Cynthia Thompson: 35.46%
Pasco County Commission, District 1
Kathryn Starkey: 61.30%
Jessica Stempien: 38.70%
Jack Mariano: 58.83%
Brandi Geoit: 34.46%
Victor Rodriguez: 6.71%
State Rep. District 36
Amber Mariano: 63.38%
Daniel Endonino: 36.62%
Ardian Zika: 62.83%
Tammy Garcia: 37.17%
Randy Maggard: 58.71%
Brian Staver: 41.29%
Hillsborough County results
Hillsborough County Sheriff
Chad Chronister: 54.83%
Gary Pruitt: 35.85%
Ron McMullen: 9.32%
D.C. Goutoufas: 43.50%
Bob "Coach" Henriquez: 56.50%
TK Mathew: 45.22%
Nancy C. Millan: 54.78%
Hillsborough County Commission, District 1
Scott Levinson: 49.27%
Harry Cohen: 50.73%
Maura Cruz Lanz, 27.66%
Gwen Myers, 72.34%
Sandra L. Murman, 47.38%
Patricia "Pat" Kemp, 52.62%
Hillsborough County School Board, District 1
Nadia Combs: 63.91%
Steve Cona: 36.09%
Mitch Thrower, 38.87%
Jessica Vaughn: 61.13%
Tammy Shamburger, 44.64%
Henry "Shake" Washington: 55.36%
Lynn Gray: 53.73%
Sally Harris: 46.27%
State Attorney, 13th Judicial Circuit
Mike Perotti: 46.64%
Andrew Warren: 53.36%
National, state results
President, vice president
Votes were still being counted in some states on Nov. 9, in the presidential election.
Hillsborough County: Donald J. Trump: 45.87%; Joseph R. Biden: 52.69%
Pasco County: Donald J. Trump, 59.38%: Joseph R. Biden, 39.32%
U.S. Congress, District 12
Multi-county results: Gus Michael Bilirakis: 62.89%; Kimberly Walker: 37.11%
Hillsborough results: Gus Michael Bilirakis: 63.48%; Kimberly Walker: 36.52
Pasco results: Gus Michael Bilirakis: 63.49%; Kimberly Walker: 36.51%
U.S. Senate District 20
Multi-county results: Danny Burgess: 54.84%; Kathy Lewis, 45.16%
Hillsborough County: Danny Burgess: 47.91%; Kathy Lewis: 52.09%
Pasco County: Danny Burgess: 59.21%; Kathy Lewis: 40.79%
Constitutional amendments (60% approval required to pass)
Amendment 1: Citizen requirement to vote in Florida
Statewide: Yes: 79.3%; No: 20.7%
Pasco: Yes: 84.86%; No: 15.14%
Hillsborough: Yes: 77.02%; No: 22.98%
Amendment 2: Raising Florida's minimum wage
Amendment 3: All voters vote in primary elections for state legislature, governor and cabinet
Statewide: Yes: 57.01%; No: 42.99%
Pasco: Yes, 60.59%; 39.41%
Hillsborough: Yes, 57.63%; No, 42.37%
Amendment 4: Voter approval of constitutional amendments
Amendment 5: Limitation on Homestead Property Taxes, increased portability to transfer accrued benefit portability period
Amendment 6: Ad valorem discount for spouses of certain deceased veterans who had permanent, combat related injury
Statewide: Yes: 89.7%; No: 10.27%
Pasco: Yes: 90.32%; No: 9.68%
Sources: The Florida Division of Elections, Pasco County Supervisor of Elections and Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections.
Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: Amber Mariano, Andrew Warren, Ardian Zika, Associated Press, Bob Coach Henriquez, Chad Chronister, Danny Burgess, Donald Trump, Early Voting, Election 2020, Election Day, Florida Constitution, Gus Bilirakis, Gwen Myers, Harry Cohen, Henry Shake Washington, Homestead Property, Jack Mariano, Jessica Vaughn, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Kathryn Starkey, Kurt Browning, Lynn Gray, Nadia Combs, Nancy Millan, Pat Kemp, Randy Maggard, Vote By Mail
Districts await word on 'remote' learning funding
When schools began this fall, state officials required that school districts open each of their campuses — but also allowed districts to offer parents a new remote learning choice — without financial penalty.
Now, the state is considering how to handle the funding issue for the second semester of the school year.
State Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran met last month in a virtual meeting with representatives of the Florida Association of District School Superintendents and said the state needs to have a clearer picture of enrollment data, and how that could affect second semester funding. He expects the state to be able to make that determination by mid-November, or Thanksgiving at the latest.
Corcoran said students receive a better quality of education when they receive in-person instruction. He said that having students on campus also helps with societal issues, such as providing meals, mental health and other services for students.
The issue came up at the Pasco County School Board's Nov. 3 meeting.
"We're still waiting to hear from the department," Superintendent Kurt Browning told board members.
"We've been told it's going to be mid-November before we get direction from the department as to whether or not they're going to continue funding the virtual option. So, that being said, this district is planning as if we're going to have the virtual option, moving into the second semester," Browning said.
"I know that FADSS — the Florida Association of District School Superintendents — sent a letter Friday to the commissioner (Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran).
"I know I've had personal communications; Mr. (Ray) Gadd has had personal communications, with the commissioner," Browning added.
They are pressing for a decision.
"If we wait 'til mid-November, there are three weeks that have to come out of that equation. One for Thanksgiving break, and then the two for Christmas break.
"I really don't want our principals working over Thanksgiving or Christmas, trying to get the massive amounts of work done, if the state so chooses not to provide the funding for the virtual option," Browning said.
He wants the state to continue to support the remote learning choice.
"COVID is still out there, and not just for the kids, but my concern is also for the staff. We have staff members who have chosen to teach in the virtual realm, simply because health concerns, elderly parents, those kinds of things.
"It's about the kids, but also about our teachers and staff," Browning said.
Board chairman Colleen Beaudoin added: "And, about the kids' families — the whole community."
Board member Cynthia Armstrong said that removing the funding support could hurt the district.
"It's about having choice for the parents. Some parents who really believe that they need to be online, if they don't get it here in the district, they will go elsewhere," Armstrong said.
Browning responded: "Those concerns have been conveyed."
Erin Malone, spokeswoman for Hillsborough County Schools, put it this way: "Our district knows the importance of parents having options, especially during this uncertain time."
Filed Under: Education, Local News Tagged With: Colleen Beaudoin, Cynthia Armstrong, Erin Malone, Florida Association of District School Superintendents, Hillsborough County Schools, Kurt Browning, Pasco County School Board, Ray Gadd, remote learning, Richard Corcoran
Political Agenda 10/07/2020
October 6, 2020 By B.C. Manion
Republican women's group endorses Trump
The Florida Federation of Republican Women has announced its support for the reelection of President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in the 2020 Presidential Election. The women's political group also endorsed that ticket during the 2016 presidential election, according to a news release from the organization.
Randy Maggard endorsements
Randy Maggard is running for reelection in District 38 of the Florida House of Representatives. His campaign has announced the following endorsements:
The West Central Florida Chapter of the Florida Police Benevolent Association
Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning
Richard Corcoran, former speaker of the Florida House and current state education commissioner
East Pasco Democrat Club
The East Pasco Democratic Club will meet remotely, via Zoom, at Oct. 19, at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will feature supporting the Democratic candidates locally and nationally. All members and friends of the Democratic Party are invited to attend. Email
, or call (813) 383-8315 for details. Socializing begins at 6 p.m., followed by the meeting.
Democrat Club meeting set
The Central Pasco Democratic Club will meet Oct. 21 at 6:45 p.m., remotely on Zoom. The meeting will feature supporting the Democratic candidates locally and nationally. All members and friends of the Democratic Party are invited to attend. Email
, or call (813) 383-8315 for details. Socializing begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by the meeting.
Kathy Lewis endorsements
Kathy Lewis is running for the District 20 seat in the State Senate. She has received these endorsements, according to her campaign:
Tracey Kagan, Democratic candidate for the Florida House
Florida State Sen. Victor "Vic" M. Torres, Jr.
Polling place changes in Pasco
Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley announced the following polling place changes for precincts 15 and 55, for the 2020 General Election.
New locations
• Precinct 15: Cornerstone Community Church, 5708 Trouble Creek Road, New Port Richey, 34652
• Precinct 55: Zephyr Shores Estates POA Clubhouse, 35143 State Road 54 W., Zephyrhills, Florida 33541
Former locations
• Precinct 15: Ashbury United Methodist Church, 4204 Thys Road, New Port Richey
• Precinct 55: Crystal Lakes Clubhouse, Zephyrhills, Florida 33541
Pasco County will mail sample ballots to voters on Oct. 9. Voters who have requested vote-by-mail do not receive sample ballots.
Some vote-by-mail reminders
The Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections' Office provides these Vote By Mail reminders, on its website:
Don't forget to sign your Vote By Mail envelope before returning it.
Make sure you have a current signature on file with your Supervisor of Elections Office. You can update your signature by completing a printed or online voter registration application. (An online application will add your most recent Florida Driver License or Florida State ID signature to your voter record.)
Be consistent when signing your mail ballot return envelope. Signatures are compared to those on file with the elections office.
You may mail your ballot back or drop it off at your local elections offices or Early Voting sites (during Early Voting).
Check with your local elections office for more information on drop-off locations.
If you mail the ballot back, make sure to allow plenty of time for it to be received. It's a good idea that you allow at least a week for your mailed ballot to reach your elections office. If your ballot isn't in your county's elections office by 7 p.m., Election Day, it will not be counted.
Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: Ashbury United Methodist Church, Brian Corley, Central Pasco Democratic Club, Cornerstone Community Church, Crystal Lakes, Donald Trump, East Pasco Democratic Club, Election Day, Florida Federation of Republican Women, Florida House of Representatives, Kathy Lewis, Kurt Browning, Mike Pence, Randy Maggard, Richard Corcoran, Trace Kagan, Victor M. Torres Jr., Vote By Mail, West Central Florida Chapter of the Florida Police Benevolent Association, Zephyr Shores Estates
New schools coming to Pasco County
September 22, 2020 By B.C. Manion
A groundbreaking was held Sept. 9 to begin work on a new career and technical school off Curley Road, in East Pasco County, across from a sizable development called Epperson.
Then, at the Sept. 15 Pasco County School Board meeting, a contract was approved for preconstruction work on a new 6-12 School in the emerging Angeline community in Land O' Lakes.
Dignitaries gather to fling shovels of dirt during the ceremonial groundbreaking for Kirkland Academy of Innovation, which is scheduled to open for the 2022-2023 school year. (Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)
Meanwhile, work continues on the construction of the new Starkey Ranch K-8 in the Starkey Ranch development, a growing Pasco County community.
During the groundbreaking ceremony and at the board meeting, Pasco School Board members and school district officials expressed enthusiasm about expanding educational opportunities for district students.
The 184,000-square-foot Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation, being built at 9100 Curley Road, is expected to serve 1,000 students and is scheduled to open for the 2022-2023 school year.
The school will prepare students for high-salary, high-skill careers in high-demand areas such as digital multimedia, engineering and robotics, biomedical sciences, building construction, and cyber security, according to district officials.
School board member Allen Altman is delighted with the new school, as he has been pushing for years to expand educational opportunities in East Pasco.
"That just warms my heart," Altman said, at the board's Sept. 15 meeting.
"I can't tell you how many years that I've tried for that. The Recession kind of put us behind," he said, then it was one thing after another.
The new facility, he said, is "just a tremendous thing for the entire county, but especially that community."
After pushing for years to expand opportunities for East Pasco students, school board member Allen Altman is delighted about the construction of Kirkland Academy of Innovation, a new high school being built off Curley Road.
In a video of the groundbreaking, posted on Twitter, Altman put it like this: "Things came together, I believe, in almost divine intervention, with the right property, at the right time, with the right people in place to make this a success."
In the same video, Superintendent Kurt Browning said "you know, technical education is so important. We're excited for what it means for our students and our community."
Deputy Superintendent Ray Gadd, who also made an appearance in the video, said: "The school will sit right here, on top of this big hill, overlooking the ponds below and the oak trees. And then, behind us, on the back side of the property will have a K-8 STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) Academy, at some point, opening probably in '24. This school will open in '22.
"We're literally going to put a technical school right in the middle of what will be a future suburbia for Pasco County," Gadd said.
While the district proceeds on construction of Kirkland Academy of Innovation, it also is embarking on another project for a school known on as School LLL, which is planned for Central Pasco County.
At its Sept. 15 meeting, the board approved a $235,000 contract with Ajax Building Company for pre-construction work relating to a new 6-12 school planned for the Angeline community of Land O'Lakes.
The school will be designed for 1,694 student stations, which at 90% capacity translates to about 1,530 students.
The school will be designed on an 18-acre site within Angeline.
Construction is scheduled to begin in September 2021, with substantial completion expected in July 2023.
Meanwhile, the district has begun the boundary process for the new Starkey Ranch K-8.
A parent-night workshop is planned for Oct. 6 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Odessa Elementary School, 12810 Interlaken Road in New Port Richey. New boundaries must be drawn to assign students to the school.
A public hearing for the boundaries proposal is planned for Nov. 17 at 6 p.m., with final school board action on Dec. 1.
Filed Under: Education, Local News Tagged With: Ajax Building Company, Allen Altman, Angeline, Curley Road, Epperson, Interlaken Road, Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation, Kurt Browning, Land O' Lakes, Odessa Elementary, Pasco County School Board, Ray Gadd, School LLL, Starkey Ranch K-8
Zephyrhills Brewing Company
Foodie Friday Gallery
A New Look For 2021 From Tampa Surgical Arts
January 12, 2021 By Kelli Carmack
Tampa Surgical Arts offers cosmetic treatments that give patients confidence and makes them look years younger. Two of … [Read More...] about A New Look For 2021 From Tampa Surgical Arts
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01/18/2021 – Garden club
The Dade City Garden Club will host a virtual general membership meeting on Jan. 18 at 9:30 a.m., via Zoom. The program will feature a presentation by Madonna Wise, author of "A Haunted History of Pasco County." Wise's husband, Ernest, also will present a short demonstration on pressing flowers. Non-members can attend. Registration is through email at
by Jan. 17. For information, visit DadeCityGardenClub.com. … [Read More...] about 01/18/2021 – Garden club
01/19/2021 – Best of crafts
The Pasco County Library Cooperative will present a "Best of Craft Tuesdays: Playlist" on Jan. 19 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Check out a video at Facebook.com/hughembrylibrary or Facebook.com/newriverlibrary to learn about some of the craft programs that are worth revisiting from the past year. For information, call 352-567-3576, or email Danielle Lee at
. … [Read More...] about 01/19/2021 – Best of crafts
01/19/2021 – Virtual gardening
The Pasco County Library Cooperative will present "Virtual Backyard Gardening with Jo Ann" on Jan. 19 at 2 p.m., via Zoom. Registration is required to receive an email on how to join the meeting. For information, email
. … [Read More...] about 01/19/2021 – Virtual gardening
01/20/2021 – Library story times
The Pasco County Library Cooperative will offer these upcoming story times: Jan. 20, for birth to age 5: Participants can tune in anytime between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m., at Facebook.com/hughembrylibrary or Facebook.com/newriverlibrary, to hear "Private I. Guana." For information, call 352-567-3576, or email Danielle Lee at
. Jan. 21 at 10 a.m.: "Virtual Baby Time with Miss Cindy." Visit Facebook.com/cplib. Jan. 21 at 10 a.m., for ages 2 to 5: "Virtual Story Time with Miss Jenn." For information, call Amaris Papadopoulos at 727-861-3020. … [Read More...] about 01/20/2021 – Library story times
01/20/2021 – LOL Book Club
The LOL Book Club from the Land O' Lakes Library will meet on Jan. 20 at 2:30 p.m., to discuss "Beartown" by Fredrik Backman. Register online for a Zoom link, which will be sent out via email a day ahead of the discussion. For information, call 813-929-1214. … [Read More...] about 01/20/2021 – LOL Book Club
01/20/2021 – Mouse bookmark
Learn to make a folded paper mouse bookmark on Jan. 20. Participants will use the art of origami to make the bookmark. Watch the instructional slide show, all day, on the South Holiday Library Facebook page. … [Read More...] about 01/20/2021 – Mouse bookmark
More of What's Happening
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"Be a bush if you can't be a tree. If you can't be a highway, just be a trail. If you can't be a sun, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are."
#MLKDay2021
This week in SPORTS: All-Pasco County fall awards announced. https://buff.ly/3srDpyU
State road projects will ease congestion. https://buff.ly/3oIP5eo
Where to pick up The Laker and Lutz News
Rioters breach U.S. Capitol building
Zephyrhills development yields roadway concerns
400 apartments proposed on Wesley Chapel Boulevard
Law enforcement memorial receives donations
New community planned along State Road 56
Pigz in Z'Hills festival postponed until April
COVID-19 vaccinations in high demand
Zephyrhills seeking state funding for four projects
Bridging Freedom is charity of the month
Pasco County approves $205,000 for work on comprehensive plan
State road projects will ease congestion
Street hockey rinks open in Wesley Chapel, Holiday
Dade City approves modified CRA plan
Check out our other stories for the week
All-Pasco County fall awards announced
New year in sports to deliver joy, excitement, adventure
2020 had shining moments in sports, despite COVID-19 (Part 2)
2020 had shining moments in sports, despite COVID-19
Toronto Raptors training camp a slam dunk at Saint Leo
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I am not interested in overrated and underrated bands.
He then goes on to list the 10 most accurately rated bands, number one being Van Halen. It's worth reading; Chuck definitely has a point, and he definitely has my number. Let's lay aside the implications about our love-hate relationship with standards of measurement, i.e. the universal search for some Law-shaped peg to hang our hat on that won't disintegrate with the next shift in cultural mores. Let's hold off on talking about what this desire for justice and rectification and credit-going-where-credit-is-due says about the human condition. And let's take it as settled that our obsession with rating and reviewing has as much to do with self-justification as it does with beauty and aesthetics.
Are you the sort of person who finds yourself constantly championing some underrated album or film or book (or theologian) and/or dismissing overrated ones? I sure am–embarrassingly so. If I take our archives as an indication, I'm drawn to defend maligned periods of an otherwise highly rated artist's career: Michael Jackson in the 90s, post-Smiths' Morrissey, Stone Temple Pilots (in any period), preferring Use Your Illusion to Appetite for Destruction, you get the idea.
Why? What draws a person to such material? What draws me to it?
First, it's a comfortable place, a more-often-than-not elitist place, ripe with all the identity markers usually filed under "taste" alluded to above. The smaller the club, the more flattering. Perhaps my inner lawyer likes taking the hard cases, just to see if he can argue them. Then again, no one likes a contrarian, and even if it was an attractive quality, I'm not sure it's enough to explain the hundreds of hours spent sorting through Elvis movie soundtracks in the hopes of finding one diamond in the rough. Meaning, if the obscuritism were solely an attempt to feel special (justified), I'm not sure it would be such an enduring (or fun) hobby. Certainly not such a private one. Plus, I still love this stuff once it finally gets the acclaim they deserve, e.g. STP, so I have to believe it's not entirely an identity thing, that there is some genuine love of the material involved.
We're fond of saying that Grace deconstructs things like taste – freed from concerns about what we feel we "should" like, we can experience music as music, rather than as what it might say about us. We can enjoy what we enjoy, in other words. But maybe "grace" is too strong a word – this process of coming to terms with one's affections might simply be a part of growing up.
Yet perhaps there is something vaguely spiritual about these "Nazareth phases" of an artist's work (no, not that Nazareth), as there always is when good, with or without a capital G, issues from a blindspot. Discovering the single beautiful element of a great artist's worst output is a fundamentally hopeful experience. Despite whatever headwind the artist is facing (personal, cultural, political), some small vestige of their talent remains impervious to sabotage (calling Alex Chilton) or injury, a hint of redemption poking out of the dirt. There is something very gracious about that. Plus, 'hidden gems' tend to catch us unawares, and for that reason they are more apt to break through our emotional and aesthetic defenses, burrow deeper into our hearts. Then again, maybe it's just that the mark of a true genius–a truly captivating artist–is not that they never fail, but that when they do, they fail big (calling Brian Wilson).
To live it you have to explode.
'Til both of us fell by the way.
The guy you were lovin' couldn't stay clean.
But he should-a stayed where his money was green.
With the juice running down my leg.
And who always was too proud to beg.
And a pathway that leads up to the stars.
Remind me to show you the scars.
So what do you like that's underrated and why?
Totally right that "Godzilla" is a great song and that BOC's more famous song is pretty lame.
I only have a little bit of a rooting for the underdog/overlooked stuff. By the mid-1990s I loathed Disney and was rooting for Pixar to assimilate or annihilate Mouse House. I also wanted Studio Ghibli's films to get more Western circulation. Ironically through Michael Eisner's management style BOTH things came to pass. Fortunately now that I've gotten what I wanted I'm still pretty happy! No one would reasonably be able to accuse Hayao Miyazaki or Pixar of being over-rated. They're pretty much exactly where they are for reasons nobody would dispute.
In classical music my favorite composers tend to be considered second tier people in their period. Most people pick Beethoven or Mozart over Haydn yet Haydn is my favorite of the three Classic era giants. He had to invent and solidify the forms his two pupils could take for granted and innovate.
While I love Stravinsky my favorite 20th century composers are Hindemith, Bartok, and Shostakovich, almost universally considered second-tier by musicologists who put Webern, Stravinsky, and Schoenberg at the top of the heap for 20th century modernists.
In Baroque music my favorites are J. S. Bach (the most accurately rated composer in the entire canon of Western music) and Heinrich Schutz (anyone who sets all of Ps 119 to music for double chorus is awesome on principle!).
I've spent so much time getting into classical stuff over the last fifteen years that non-classical music only catches my attention if there's 1) a new Portishead album or 2) there's another posthumous Johnny Cash release.
Heh, and I'm one of those snobs who thinks that Handel's Messiah is overrated. I also like Blind Willie Johnson better than Robert Johnson even though "objectively" all blues historians would say Robert is more important.
David, "new pony" isn't that bad. Isn't the New Pony his new-found Christian faith, the changed guard? We know who Senor is (abba, not the band).
I've always been as contrarion in my musical tastes as was seemingly possible, justifying it along the grounds that great art will never appeal to the masses. It's a high-school-ish argument, and calling the stuff I like "great art" requires a well developed sense of irony, but, in my favor, there was a documentary made about Phish in the early 2000s called "Bittersweet Motel", which makes my (juvenile) point for me brilliantly. Can so many people be so obviously wrong? Yes. Watch that flick and see. You've never seen so many people chasing a wind-egg!
Dave, this overrated/underrated thing is really big in sports as well. In fact, in sports, there is this phenomenon when a player or team becomes recognized as underrated, but then everyone agrees and starts talking about them being "underrated" all the time, and suddenly they become overrated. Strange thing! I'm sure you can think of musical artists to whom the same principle applies.
Most underrated part of Matthew? 27:52-53, or, as one of my profs likes to call it, "the Thriller passage."
I've often thought many people 'wear' music like the latest fashions, concerned only with its popularity rather than whether or not they have a personal attraction to it. The idea that some piece of work is 'overrated' may be a reasonable response to such trends.
Treating musical taste like a fashion accessory seems narcissistic. But it had not occurred to me that narcissism could be an effort toward 'legal' justification. Yet, it makes perfect sense.